Vicky Thompson
Vicky Thompson (aka Vikki Steele / Vikki Thompson / Reece Robert Richard Thompson), a male who identifies as a trans woman, was convicted of assault and theft in June 2015 and received a 12 month suspended prison sentence at Bradford Crown Court. Thompson had robbed a teenage girl of her mobile phone and attempted to steal the girl’s mother’s phone and toiletries from two shops in March 2015.
On 18 October 2015, the police arrested Thompson for failing to appear in court to face charges of theft. Thompson had also failed to attend at least two probation appointments and was remanded into custody at HMP Leeds (as the prisoner did not have a gender recognition certificate, per prison guidelines).
Thompson was found unresponsive in a cell at the prison on 13 November 2015 and reportedly the inquest jury “concluded unanimously that she had not meant to take her own life” and the cause of death was recorded as self-inflicted.
There were conflicting reports of whether Thompson wished to be transferred to a women’s prison (as asserted by Bob Steele, Thompson’s partner) whereas a friend in HMP Leeds, said Thompson ‘believed she was “treated as a god” and would not get special treatment in a female prison.’ The prison equalities officer also testified that Thompson had declined a transfer because female prisoners would be “bitchy”.
Media coverage of Thompson’s convictions only included reference to shoplifting and made no mention of the reality; a violent street robbery of a mother and young daughter which resulted in assault and theft convictions.
Prisons & Probation Ombudsman report on the death of the prisoner https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/ppo-prod-storage-1g9rkhjhkjmgw/uploads/2017/05/L204-15-Death-of-Ms-Vicky-Thompson-Leeds-13-11-2015-SID-18-21.pdf
Photo via Sky News
Media reports
Telegraph & Argus http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/11886167.Keighley_woman_accused_of_robbing_girl__15__of_mobile_phone/ archive
Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3326581/Transgender-woman-sent-male-prison-dead-cell.html